Initially, my reactions to the incredibly detailed rendition of 1940s and 50s America in Mafia II was overwhelmingly good. The game world of Empire Bay – the ersatz New York City – is stunningly beautiful to behold, the amount of little details worked into it astounding, the vistas breathtaking. The overall sense of place and […]

Sequels are a phenomenon of popular culture. It’s something everybody loves to hate. They’re unnecessary–just another piece of proof that capitalism is destroying art in all its forms, turning it into derivative, unimaginative, uncreative, food for the masses. Carbon copies of the so-called “tried and true” ideas which a studio or publisher believes it can […]

This entry may or may not be written in a somewhat ironic voice. I called the bluff. People are lying to each other big time on the Internet. And in the gaming press. It’s a shame really. Why do people resort to this? Must have something to do with male bragging. Hurrhurrhurr this chili is […]

Finding movies that scare you is pretty easy. For one, the viewer is always in the role of the helpless onlooker, doomed to yell at the screen at best, unable to react to whatever horrific situations may unfold. Finding a game that scares you in a similar way usually is a lot harder. For one, […]

Of course he needed to be a Scotsman. One with a thick set accent. Only a Scotsman would fit into this game as protagonist. Spanish developer mercurysteam bring with them a lot of distinctly European heritage. The game’s environments look and feel a lot more authentic than anything American or – worse – Japanese developers […]

In parallel to the highlights of the year, it’s also time to go to the not so nice places in gaming. There’s been a lot going on this year, and a lot of it wasn’t very good. Or at least, not really living up to expectations or were letdowns on other parts. This is not […]